miss.ann Uganda

Friday, May 20, 2011

Started off on a good note I was elected the as the GAD coordinator director, Home has been a lot of fun with all the volunteers that have been here. I have really made a nice home for myself everyone always says it’s so homey in here with pictures on the wall and it’s always clean. Work has been slow I am finding many projects to work on like World Malaria day, Teaching the Vocational school instructors how to teach children with special needs and helping the Providence Home get organized with NGO development.

April Blog: 2011

It’s been a world wind of emotions the past month with my favorite British couple gone and

50th anniversary celebration was a blast to see some of friends and to hang out with them and to meet some of the new volunteers. The day itself was exactly what I had expected but what are friends for. So the day started with coffee, free t-shirts and lots of hugs from friends have not seen in months. It was so nice seeing everyone and giving hugs to all the trainers I have not seen since I left training. We took a massive group picture and then off to our designate areas or volunteering in Leswea. I was to help pain a memorial on a primary schools building, but as we were walking to the school my good friend Mama Linda fell in a hole and sprained her ankle and going to aid I missed out on the day. So I spent most of the day helping Linda to Peace Corps Medical in Kampala therefore did not get to help paint the memorial, but it was nice to catch up with Linda and not waste away in the hot African sun painting. There was a posh reception at the end of the day where I spent the rest of the night dancing away with all my friends. Then it was back to the village.

Teddy is a 22 year old orphan who has been with the home for several years. She was brought to the home after multiple gunshot wounds left her no use of her legs. It was brought to my attention that Teddy was now 24 weeks pregnant and need medical treatment and the nuns of course where not so happy with her being disable, sneaking off to town and messing around with boys then coming back to the home pregnant. So with the help of Ducli and Kathy money we took Teddy to the local hospital so she could seek proper treatment. We then found out the she had Pre-clamisa and was in danger of not only losing her child but her life as well. This was practically difficult for me because I was going behind the backs of the nuns who obviously did not want Teddy to seek medical treatment for her condition.

It’s funny in Africa if you cross these nuns then are always and forever on their bad side and even in dire circumstances they kind of push you off to the side and well to be frank let you die. It’s weird because they perch forgiveness and love but do anything they don’t want you to do or make life harder for them then you are in trouble the rest of the days at Providence Home.

It’s not to say that these nuns don’t have compassion it’s just culture. Ugandan culture mainly is only the strong survive even in a home like this. I see this clearly now there is lack of funds for medical and food and no nurse as of right now so if children stay health do as they are told hopefully they can make it out of the home and become appreciative of what they were raised with. As for the weak well let’s hope that a donor or sponsor can help you.

It’s not malicious its just life here. Nothing more nothing less. They given these children and roof, some education, some medical and try to teach them everyday skills. Then they hope what they have taught them in the home over the years will help them in the real world Africa. It’s nice to see the one that have come so far and done so well for themselves. This home is so beautiful. Sr. Juliet background is Social work not Management she was telling me about how she never learned about disabilities in school and yet she is so good with these children.

Life is funny here it is the complete opposite of the world I was raised in and it makes it harder to see and live here on a daily biases how the home works.

I just hope that me being here can help in the long run and shine some light on management in the home, but only time will tell and well let’s face it time goes so slow here yet at the same time its already march I have been here six months. And still every day I learn something new about Ugandans and myself. Some good some bad. But I would not want to be anywhere else in the world. This is my new home and family. All the residents in the home are like family. It’s funny I left for no more than two days and when I reached the gate coming home all the children started screaming my name and telling me how much they missed me. I was so surprised because I was not even gone that long to be missed well in my mind anyway.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

January started with IST which is in-service training after the first three months at site. IST was extremely fun getting to see all 45 of my PCV group. IST was luxury I spent about 11 days at a posh Hotel called Rider where I had hot showers, TV, Refrigerator in my room, a pool, a gym which it Uganda standards was very nice, steam room and sauna. It was so nice to work out everyday somethings I truly miss its not the same lifting Jerry cans and running everyday compared to the sweat smelling gym that I love and can and did spend hours in.

IST training was great we received new and fun information for the work that I will be doing and Sr. Juliet my supervisor who is now my best friend Ugandan friend. She was awesome she mingled with all the volunteers sat in on all the discussions. You could tell she really loves Peace Corps.

Oh yea I aced my Language that I was having such a hard time with, which I have to give all my thanks to Master DEO my language trainer who worked with me just about everyday for two hours, he made me join the choir to help with my per-nunication and took me duka ( shop) to duka and made me do greeting and numbers until I had it just right. I just knew that if I could be taught the language with some one on one and who understood me. So now I can really hold my own with the language which is a big help in country. I People look at you differently when they see you can speak the language and others will not try and talk about you.

After IST 37 Volunteers head off the Nile River Explores (NRE) for some rafting. NRE is a beautiful place to behold especially first thing in the morning when the sun is coming up over the NILE. I can't wait to show you the video of the me rafting class 5- 6 rapids. There is an especially funny rapid called Sliver back class five where all you see in the video is me the only one who falls out of the boat just floating down the Nile waving my hands waiting to be picked up by the safety kayakers. It was a huge rush. There's nothing like feeling the love of the earth then when a huge rapid swallows you up and spits you back out. Over all that day made me miss my father the most God rest his soul. Rafting the Nile would have been such a great memory to have with my father to see the look on his face as we approach the rapids, but I know he was definitely there that day with me watching and laughing along with my friends as I bobbed in and out of the NILE.

After rafting and IST I was looking forward to start some real work with Sr. Juliet cause during IST it really gave us a lot of time to prioritizes all the needs of the home and where I could be put to good use.

So around January 26th I started to feel like I was getting the flu so I started drinking more water and sleeping a little bit more each day, headaches started, body aches, joint pain, increased urination, swollen spleen, liver and kidneys plus high night fevers for six days. After the six day and realizing that it is not the flu called peace corps medical they imminently came to my site and picked me up to take me to the nurses. Peace corps does an excellent job of taking care of us volunteers when we are sick (trust me I know). When a volunteer is so sick that they can't stay at site or by themselves they send volunteers to this wonderful Angel called Nurse Betty who is a retired Uganda Nurse. She is wonderful. Betty is like your guardian angel when you are sick. When you are having a fever in the middle of the night she is there to help you through it she makes sure you drink enough water even when you don't want to drink or eat anythings. She comes into your room at midnight, and 4 am to make sure you are well taken care of. Nurse Betty goes down in my book as the best nurse ever.

Peace Corps also just hired a new nurse from the states Named Karen. She too was also my guardian angel while I was sick. She came with me to all my appointments called me at least three times a day and and once at night. I was really mad about being sick and being away from site, but at the same time I would have never be able to get to know Karen who just moved to Uganda and was not familiar with the area so it was a lot of fun to tell her some good places to eat, shop, internet oh yea I also gave her some GLEE so I will see how she will like them next time I see her.

So after many test and poking and stool samples. We went and saw Dr. Stockily ( o god oh Dr. stockily is bit of a British character very intelligent and sometime bedside manner not so great)

After waiting at the doctors office for three hours which is pretty good for the Ugandan doctors. We found out I have gotten “THE STICHO”. Schistosomiasis is a type of schisotosoma parasite. (Yummy)

Which is basically a parasite that you get when you go swimming in the Lakes or the Nile and of course I went swimming in the Nile (on New Years at the Hairy Lemon) totally wroth it, but you can't blame me It's the Nile. I don't think I will be going near any type of water any time so. Lesson learned.

Going back to the providence home after schisto was hard I was not completely recovered and was really weak.

About two day after being home one of the Children passed away. I really took that hard. “ Designer “ was here name she was very special child who would come by the elderly section and help out with just about any thing and she always had a smile. I'm not quite sure what her disability is because they documentation of some of the children is just non -existence. Designer could not speak Luganda or English so she would just point and try to speak. I miss her I would wake up in the morning and there she would be helping around the elderly section. I was to sick to attend the funeral, but Sr. Juliet arranged for a bunch of the children and staff and elderly to attend her burial. From what I heard from the Nat n Dulci is that her family were all very sad, but yet none of them would ever come and visit her they would always say they just lost track of time to come and get her for the holidays. So instead of burring her in the family plot they burred her far away from the plots in the sugar cane field in a shallow grave. Which what I was told was that her mother was bad and they never knew her father, but Designer was well loved at the providence home so I know the last years of her life where well spent. How she died is still unknown they don't do autopsy on bodies unless you pay for it. So basically when someone dies is that you dress the body in bare cloth which is an traditional cloth that is very expense and poor little Designer family could only afford to cover her face and you stay the night with the body and burrie the body the next day in the evening. So little Designer had a great life in the providence home but a sad burial. Rest in Peace Little Designer.

After the chaos of IST/Rafting/ Schito and the death of Designer Life really feel into place with work, friends and everyday routine along with some more fun chaos in February.